My Favorite 25 Sports Moments of the 2000s - Part 1

"Best of the Decade" lists are inherently flawed. I say this because somebody or some group takes it upon themselves to be experts on certain subjects and speak for everyone that would read the list. How self-serving and ridiculous, right? As if nobody's thought on the subject should matter outside of the writer's. Well, knowing this, I decided that if I'm going to do a list, I'm going to make it clear that these are not the best, but MY FAVORITE things in a certain genre. I'm doing it because I like to look back on things like this and also because it should spawn some discussion about other people's favorite moments. So that's what I plan to do.

In the first of eight lists that I will do over the next few weeks/months, I'll take a look back at the last decade and feature some of the things I liked the most in the world of sports. Obviously, there's going to be some bias, but I did my best to work in many different things that should make the list stand out, including some things I was actually at in person...or in two cases, behind the microphone for. So here's how we start:

25. A-Rod Goes Yard in Spring Training Debut - 2/25/09

I begin my list with my first Spring Training memory, and man was it something.

The big story coming into the 2009 season was Alex Rodriguez's revelation that he used performance-enhancing drugs early in the decade, putting him with the rest of the tainted sluggers that now cloud baseball's record books. When the story broke so close to the beginning of Spring Training, myself and my co-workers got excited about the potential of A-Rod showing up before realizing that perhaps the Yankees would keep him under wraps early so that he doesn't become a distraction. Thankfully, we were wrong.

It was indeed a circus. The left field line at Dunedin Stadium was filled with cameramen and reporters, and as I walked around the field before gametime and surveyed the craziness, A-Rod finished playing catch with Derek Jeter and then ran towards the dugout, running right by me as he did it. He was a lot bigger than I thought he would be, which was ironic considering his circumstances at the time. It was then that I realized how amazing a moment I was in...but it was just beginning.

A-Rod arrived to boos from the Blue Jays fans while Yankees fans, both New York transplants and vacationers to their Spring home in Tampa, cheered uncontrollably. A-Rod drew a walk in his first appearance, fouling off the only pitch he swung at. It was in his next at-bat, however, where things got interesting.

He took the first pitch and then waited for one to come, and man, did it ever come, in the form of a moonshot off his bat and over the scoreboard at the stadium. As I stood there watching this all unfold, I heard boos to my right and cheers to my left, but even though I was a Blue Jays employee, I couldn't help but shake my head in amazement. It was the beginning of a year that saw A-Rod come through in big moments for the first time in his career as a Yankee, and the home run showed that even though he was surrounded by controversy, he was not afraid to face it head on.

24. The Jets Make a Jumbo-sized Comeback - 10/23/00

This is the moment that makes Sean happy and my brother, Pete, squeamish.

I remember watching the second half of this game and shaking my head. The Jets were down by 32 and with less than five minutes to play they had suddenly made it 37-30 after touchdowns thrown to Jermaine Wiggins and Lav Coles, neither of whom had caught a TD pass before in the NFL. The Dolphins defense at the time featured tackling machine Zack Thomas and fantastic pass-rushing defensive end Jason Taylor, along with many other good defensive role-players that fit the scheme well. Even with a so-so offense led by Jay Fiedler, the Dolphins defense kept them in a lot of games.

So imagine the surprise when not only did the Jets comeback, but the way they came back...good lord. The touchdowns came at the expense of casual offense and mistakes, but the score that tied it, when Vinny Testaverde hit starting tackle Jumbo Elliott on a tackle-eligible throw to bring the game even, just left my mouth agape, much like Jumbo's as he looked to the sky after nearly bobbling his catch.

Of course, the game went to overtime, and, of course, the Jets won it on a John Hall field goal to complete the comeback, one of the greatest games in the history of MNF. Of course, while the game itself was incredible, it would be eclipsed a few weeks later when Antonio Freeman made the most ridiculous catch in the history of the NFL, prompting the famous, "HE DID WHAT?!" call from Al Michaels as the Packers beat the Vikings in overtime. While the catch was incredible, the Jets/Dolphins game was a tour de force of emotions down the stretch, and the bizarre comeback capped off by the Jumbo catch made it that much more special.

23. Liverpool Shocks The World - 5/25/05

I got into soccer during my junior year of college thanks to my good friend Chamo and as the end of my junior year of college was upon me (and unfortunately at the time, the death of my Grandma) a match happening half a world away suddenly drew my interest in my time of mourning.

I had followed the Premier League and knew that Liverpool was most definitely the second fiddle to powers like Manchester United and Chelsea. However, in the Champions League semi-finals, it was expected that Liverpool would be no challenge for the Blues, even with Liverpool on an unusual run and facing a stacked Chelsea squad. Liverpool prevailed in front of a RAUCOUS crowd in Liverpool, a match that sent them on to the final against AC Milan and the "Great White Hope" of soccer, Andriy Shevchenko.

In fact, the first half looked like the strongest team in Italy's Serie A was going to prove that Liverpool's surprise was a mere aberration, going up 3-0 at the half thanks to a goal in the opening minute by Paolo Maldini and two goals in a three minute span later in the half from Hernan Crespo. But it was the response from Liverpool, with three goals in a fifteen minute span to open the 2nd half, that brought the game to a fevered pitch. Liverpool's resiliency was once again on display and brought forth one of the most incredible stretches of soccer anywhere in the world that decade.

After two periods of extra time, the two teams went into a shootout, and with AC Milan shooting last, they sent Shevchenko to the line to send the shootout into a sixth shot. His chip right up the middle was stopped by Jerzy Dudek, who somehow deflected the ball as he fell away from the shot, sending Liverpool to it's greatest win in club history. Shevchenko would ironically become a part of Chelsea as they became the New York Yankees of the Premier League, but it was Liverpool's incredible win that stands as perhaps soccer's greatest moment of the 2000s.

22. Reggie Bush Earns Himself A Heisman Trophy Against Fresno St. - 11/19/05

The Heisman Trophy race in 2005 famously came down to the wire as USC and Texas seemed destined to collide in the Rose Bowl that year for the National Championship in the one time the BCS ever got it right. USC were the defending champs and had the previous year's Heisman winner at quarterback in ballroom dancer extraordinaire, Matt Leinart. They had won 32 straight games, the longest streak in the nation and one of the longest in history. Texas quarterback Vince Young was having an incredible year after his coming out party in the Rose Bowl the year before. But it was junior sensation and runner-up to Leinart the previous season, Reggie Bush who became THE story on a team full of superstars.

Facing Pat Hill's Fresno State in a non-league game right before the end of the season, USC found themselves in a shootout, doing everything they could from giving Hill his signature victory. But Bush had other ideas, running for an insane 294 yards, including the signature highlight of his career: an incredible 50-yard touchdown run that saw him cutback against the grade across the width of the field en route to the victory. He had a total of 513 all-purpose yards, setting an NCAA record, as he was electrifying on kick returns and in the passing game as well.

It was the game that made people believe that Bush could be special in the NFL, but unfortunately for Bush, he has never lived up to the amazing potential he showed in this game, where he proved once and for all that he was one of the greatest players in the history of college football.

21. LuGo Walks Off The World Series Against The Sandman - 11/4/01

Derek Jeter famously hit a walk-off home run off Byung-Hun Kim as the clock passed midnight on Halloween, giving him the moniker of "Mr. November," and if the Yankees could have figured out a way to win the 2001 World Series, that would have been the biggest highlight of the Series, if not Jeter's career.

Instead, Luis Gonzalez had to "ruin" it for everybody.

It was, like many great moments, the build-up to it that made it special. It was the Yankees up 1 with the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, in to close it out after closing out the 8th inning. Randy Johnson had come in and kept the game close for the D'Backs in relief of Curt Schilling. It was then that the D'Backs, off the invincible Rivera, made the most improbable of comebacks. A Mark Grace single started the rally, but it was Tony Womack's RBI double that tied the game, putting the winning run 90 feet away. Craig Counsell was hit by a pitch to load the bases, giving way to Gonzalez, who fisted off one of Rivera's patented sliders over the drawn in Jeter to complete the third Series-winning 9th inning comeback ever, and the first since Joe Carter's historic walk-off home run in the '93 Series. It was the perfect ending to a World Series that brought America together in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and even though the Yankees couldn't pull it out for the city hit hardest by those tragic events, the moment in which the D'Backs pulled off their miracle was something everyone could enjoy.

20. Brock Lesnar Arrives Becomes The Man In UFC - 11/15/08

Brock Lesnar was labeled as nothing more than a sideshow when he arrived in the UFC during 2008: A vain attempt by UFC President Dana White to capitalize on Lesnar's star power as a professional wrestler to draw big gates and become a tomato can to "real" fighters.

And then he went out and destroyed Randy Couture to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion.

The fight wasn't even close. Couture's fighting style, that of the experienced wrestler who could ground and pound out wins, was what Lesnar did at a much higher level, and when he destroyed the UFC legend to the sounds of glorious boos from the crowd, it was then made clear that perhaps this giant of a man could have what it takes to be the centerpiece of UFC's renewed interest in the heavyweight division, and that after years of watching the smaller guys dominate the scene (like in boxing), the big boys would soon become what everyone came to see. Lesnar would win his much hyped rematch against Frank Mir at UFC 100, drawing the ire of many, but at the same time, showing that he is indeed the real deal, and after recovering from a stomach illness, looks to become the dominant force to begin the 2010's.

19. Phelps and Bolt Make History 30 Minutes Apart - 8/16/08

The two main stories of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing crossed paths for a 30 minute burst that showed exactly why they were considered the best athletes in the world in their respective sports.

Michael Phelps was looking to become the most decorated Olympian ever, trying to amass more gold medals than anyone in the history of the Olympics, and with his toughest event, the 100 Meter Butterfly, staring him right in the face, he would continue his run towards history, but not before the infamous finish nearly marred his quest, as the electronic touch pad indicated that he just barely beat Serbian Milorad Cavic by .01 of a second, making Phelps Mark Spitz's equal as he won his seventh gold medal at the games.

Meanwhile, Jamaica's Usain Bolt was looking to make history himself as he went after the 100 Meter dash world record, saying that he could destroy the record previously set by himself earlier that year. Tyson Gay, America's best hope against Bolt, was looking to shut up the brash Jamaican...and then Bolt shut us all up by running a 9.69, gloating as he crossed the finish line to prove his point of superiority. He would then put all his effort together in 2009 to throw a 9.59 up on the board, just to show his full potential.

While both events by themselves are worthwhile, the fact that they happened so close together made for an incredible night as I laid on Audrey's couch tired from a day of craziness.

18. Mariners Lose Chance At History as Indians Make Ridiculous Comeback - 8/5/01

Some moments, you remember exactly where you were. I definitely remembered this game, as my family and I sat in a hotel room across the street from Disneyland, coming home after a busy day at the Magic Kingdom, turning on ESPN to find that night's Sunday attraction was still going...and going...and going. Seattle would go on to tie the record set by the 1998 Yankees with 116 wins that season, but this game would be most remembered as the game in which they lost their shot at surpassing the Bronx Bombers.

Even though we tuned in late, we got there at the best time possible: Down 14-9 in the 9th, the Indians were dead in the water...but all of a sudden, Omar Vizquel was up with the bases loaded and a full count against Kaz Sasaki with Cleveland down 14-11 before the impossible was completed. Vizquel tripled down the left field line, bringing in all three runs and tying the game at 14-14, completing a comeback that saw Seattle go up 12-0 after only two innings.

Of course, the comeback would be completed in the 10th inning when Jolbert Cabrera drove in his third run of the night, bringing home Kenny Lofton with the winning run and completing one of the biggest comebacks in MLB history. One of the craziest things I had ever seen.

17. LeBron Singlehandedly Sinks the Detroit Pistons - 6/1/07

I remember being the only guy watching the TV at Rogue that night in San Francisco, but it was only because LeBron just wouldn't stop destroying the Pistons. It was as if he found out Rip Hamilton slept with his girlfriend or something.

Famous as James had gotten in the NBA at 22, the man hadn't really had his time to shine yet, as Dwayne Wade got his NBA Title the year before. But when he led the Cavs to the Eastern Conference Finals and put them on the precipice to the first NBA Finals appearance in team history, you had a feeling he needed to break out to cement his status as the King of the NBA. The performance was straight up nuts: He scored the last 25 Cavs points and 29 of the last 30 in a Game 5 that swayed the momentum one way or the other. He had 48 overall, but the two shots that did it were two EMPHATIC dunks that silenced the crowd in Auburn Hills, pointing the Cavs towards fulfilling their destiny and LeBron achieving immortality. It was then that LeBron showed that he was no longer the next big thing.

Instead, the King had finally taken his throne. The only thing left for him now is a crown in the form of an NBA Title.

16. Sonoma Gets That Baseball Title - 5/27/08

The first of two Sonoma-related items on this list (the other one is obvious), it was an absolute blast to watch this team win an NCS championship, especially considering I umpired all these kids when they played Babe Ruth ball and after an incredible run in the regular season, they came out with some big time games in big time spots, but the final game was really awesome to me, as I got to call the final game of one of the best sports years in Sonoma Valley High School history.

Tommy Lyons' triple was the highlight, but it was Ben Graff's performance as a sophomore, going the distance and striking out 10, that became perhaps the game's backbone. And I remember hugging Mario Alioto afterwards, knowing how long he had been a part of the program and knowing how long he had waited for that moment. Talking to various people from that team afterwards, they'll always remember how important that season was and I was happy to at least be able to relay the good parts to their loyal fans.

That, plus the rings they got were pretty sweet, too.

15. Cinderella's Real Name is George Mason - 3/26/06

It's one thing for a double-digit seed to make it to the Sweet 16. It's another thing entirely to get to the Elite 8.

But the Final Four? Are you kidding me?

When George Mason, not even the best team that year in THE PATRIOT LEAGUE, faced Top-seeded UConn as a No. 11 seed for a chance to get to the Final Four as the highest seed ever (tied with LSU from '87), people wondered how much of a fight they would give against one of the best programs in the country. They were physically overmatched, they didn't have the talent that UConn had, but at the same time, they played under adversity with poise that few other teams had. For one thing, their center, Jai Lewis, wasn't taller than either of UConn's forwards!

Like they cared. Even down going into the final minutes of regulation, they kept a pace and pushed the game into extra minutes, where they hit 5-of-6 shots and won the battle of the boards, holding off UConn's late charge and moving on to the Final Four. While they would fall to eventual champion Florida, this mid-major, at-large team that barely made it into the tournament showed that even the overmatched had a chance to compete with the big boys...and win.

14. Tiger Woods Doesn't Need No Stinkin' ACL - 6/15 and 6/16, 2008

I was on my second day of the weekend at KTVU. That Sunday, we were hoping to show the U.S. Open to start off the 5 p.m. Sports Wrap, and while we did, Tiger Woods was still trying to make it to a playoff with a long putt on the 18th hole to go. I was asked by Jason Toupes to stay behind and watch Tiger as he went to produce the first part of the Wrap, and as soon as Tiger sank the putt, we knew it was on. Jason raced back, cut the clip and sent it along to the computer to be played...except that it got played when we didn't want it to be.

Thankfully, Tiger gave us another chance...and MAN did he come through. Playing with what would eventually be diagnosed as both a torn ACL and broken tibia, Woods defeated Rocco Mediate on not only the U.S. Open's grueling 18-hole playoff that Monday, but would get a 91st hole as well after Mediate BARELY pushed what would have been the winning putt to the side, giving Tiger his shot to win on hole No. 91, sinking par as Mediate missed his.

His 14th major was obviously his most impressive, even moreso than his destruction of The Masters and his Pebble Beach 15-stroke U.S. Open winner. To do what he did on one leg, playing the 91 holes and WIN the damn thing, is one of the most impressive feats in sports history.

13. What...They Couldn't Play a 7th Overtime? - 3/12/09

I came home late that night...out doing something crazy as I settled into my new room in Clearwater, and when I turned this game on while they headed for double overtime, I figured I'd tune in to see who wins.

And then the game didn't end until 2 a.m.

UConn and Syracuse knew what the Big East tournament was all about. It had fast become the best postseason tournament not named "The Big Dance," and it was because of fantastic match-ups and moments. Cuse had improbably won the tournament in 2006 when Gerry McNamara went off to the point where I truly thought he would kill someone before the Orange lost.

Here's the part that was crazy: It COULD have ended if it wasn't for that stupid instant replay thing that gets plays right, as a 28-footer from Eric Devendorf went in about a tenth of a second too late. So if you're looking for someone to blame for the six overtimes that followed, blame technology. I know I would.

The one guy that people remember in this game is Jonny Flynn of Syracuse, who had 34 points and 11 assists in 67 MINUTES. Yes, he only missed THREE minutes of playing time. What a ridiculous man. This game cemented him as a top player and he soon went to the T'Wolves as a draft pick. The Orange would eventually make it to the finals against Louisville, who would squash Cuse's dream of another improbable Big East title, but not before the Orange once again left their stamp on the tournament that they had helped make famous.

12. The Russian Bear Is Finally Felled - 9/24/00

20 years earlier, the United States and the Soviet Union faced off in the greatest international battle ever. For me, the time Rulon Gardner faced Alexander Karelin, the man who made Greco-Roman wrestling the biggest cakewalk in any Olympic sport ever, it was great to see an American in the finals. But we knew that Karelin had never lost an international competition, had won three gold medals, and had the deadliest move in the sport: The Karelin Lift, a gutwrench throw that saw him use his brute strength to lift his opponent from his stomach onto the back of his head and shoulders.

And then Gardner got a takedown.

Watching it as it happened, I still couldn't believe what I had watched. We knew that Karelin at his best was absolutely unstoppable, and this big goofy guy from Wyoming somehow figured out a way to take him down. Of course, once he got it, he had to survive the Bear, who hadn't yielded a point in 13 years. But much like the Bear's former communist nation when the United States performed the Miracle on Ice, when he found himself down, he had no idea how to come back. Gardner outlasted Karelin, winning 1-0 and capturing the most improbable gold medal for the U.S. in 20 years, making him an instant celebrity and giving the U.S. one of its greatest Olympic moments ever.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: I was informed that it was not a takedown, but rather a fringe rule on a broken grip above the shoulders from Karelin that counts as an infraction, giving Gardner the only point in the match and the only point ever scored on Karelin in Olympic competition.

11. The Titans Make Their Super Bowl Run - 2000 NFL Playoffs

I couldn't pick between the two. One was the absolute pinnacle of the franchise's history. The other was it's saddest. But both of them make for an incredible postseason. The first play is, of course, what was dubbed "The Music City Miracle."

With the Titans down two in the closing seconds of their Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills, Frank Wycheck took a squib kickoff from about his own 35 and ran it towards the right side of field. He then stopped, pivoted, and threw the ball across the field on a straight line to Kevin Dyson, who scampered down the sideline for what turned out to be the winning score. The play was reviewed for nearly five minutes as the ball was thrown on a slight lateral, and as the refs declared the play good, it was only the beginning for the Titans.

They would eventually reach the Super Bowl, and down 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams with two minutes to play, they would make their way down the field as they tried to tie the ballgame. The signature play on the drive was an amazing scramble by Steve McNair, who somehow avoided several Rams defenders before finding Dyson for a catch that put the Titans in the red zone with less than a minute to play.

Then, standing on the 10 yard line after using their final timeout with six seconds to play, McNair ran a simple slant route to Dyson, who had beaten his man and only had one more player to beat, but Mike Jones (no, not that one) tackled Dyson literally inches before the goal line, finishing what would be called "The Tackle" on the play that would be called "One Yard Short" and giving the Rams their first Super Bowl. It completed an amazing run for the Titans, and is arguably the best performance by a losing team in the history of the Super Bowl.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2, WHICH WILL BE WRITTEN ON WEDNESDAY!